Why the hobby is dyeing and how we can save it

[Elliot Gillan]

Warning this may offend RC elites

Why I think the hobby is dyeing is because not enough people are getting in to it 

Also more company's are going out of business so people want to leave the hobby because a lack of companies and parts for Thier cars how I think we could get more people into the hobby one thing is advertising and maybe if hobby grade RC manufacturers started makeing toy grade RC cars for kids then when they got older they could get hobby grade RC cars also we could advertise hobby grade RC cars on TV later on in the day thank you for reading  yours sincerely  Elliot gillan

Edited January 12, 2020 by Elliot Gillan

[m4inbrain]

Who says its dying?

[Paul Busby]

I only got into the hobby this year, perhaps I’m missing something but it seems pretty alive to me. 

 

Certainly seems to to have evolved / be evolving, but doesn’t seem to be on the way out when Traxxas, Losi and Arrma are selling £1000 electric Cars and folk are happily snapping them up

[CattoCattoExo]

i only seriously got into this hobby all of 4 months ago... ive been a fan of rc for at least 20 years... and unless im blind, it seems to not only not be dying, but getting a hell of a lot more common, with the prices manufacturers are setting, and the ease of access to facilities to use the models...    where did this idea come from that it was dying ? 

[MacRaguel]

Likewise 

Im new to the hobby and loving every bit of it

 

i must admit though I’d like to see a lot more organisation, trying to meet others is proving difficult 

you know there’s dozens of people in the city and towns around you with RC cars, but finding them is a nightmare 

[Tug]

The forums and shops are struggling, but the hobby seems fairly healthy. Online sales and new releases are definitely looking strong. Also keep seeing new brands popping up, plus new names appearing on this forum. 

 

The hobby is still going and is still relevant, but finding fellow enthusiasts is difficult!

[fnknan]

Yeah the hobbys not necessarily dying although looking at the state of some of the shops, you may be inclined to believe so. But really, more people are just buying online as tug says, and it's a lot easier for new people to get into the hobby with all these super cheap cars from banggood and the like. 

 

I got into the hobby in 2010 and kinda abandoned it in 2014-15 because I didn't have the money for spares. But before I did, it definitely felt like the hobby was at its peak, the forum definitely had more traffic, all the big YT channels were releasing some of the best videos to date.(RCSparks - skatepark pain) Medic would get so many more views than he does now with many more subscribers.

 

But I think with the rise of people such as Kevin Talbot, it's definitely changed, there are quite a few more kids involved and the line between toy grade and hobby grade gets more blurred by the day. I think if anything the hobby is starting to resurrect itself with this new fleet of amazing cars that was non-existent when I left.

 

Maybe it's just cos I was young, but compared to 2011-2012 the hobby seemed way more alive than when I rejoined in early 2019 🤷🏻‍♂️

[53HRA]

I wouldn't say it is dying if anything it has picked up very well the last few years, hopefully with more years to come! Scalers and Rock Crawling is becoming more popular, speed  and drifting is the next best thing for some people  and drones are taking up the flying side.

 

Electric and Petrol is definitely on the rise but unfortunately i have noticed Nitro has quietened down a little... 

 

 

[tamiyafanboy]

With the accessibility of cheap parts and cars better batteries and better Technology I would say its far from dying, the only thing that is hard to come by are local hobby shops.

 

[babylon]

I got my first car in 1982, So if it is dying, It's a slow death.

I've said it a few time, Kids never had it so good.

[pando]

I think its just that the forums are quiet that it gives the impression that RC is dying, although I think 1/5 scale petrol has died off a bit compared to when I got into it in 2013 where the losi 5ive had just come out and everyone wanted one, it was a bit of a game changer though

[Tug]

The gassers seem to be everywhere, especially now that big bore engines are widely available. Same as high voltage BL kit is getting more affordable, good for the hobby! 

[babylon]

55 minutes ago, Tug said:

The gassers seem to be everywhere, especially now that big bore engines are widely available. Same as high voltage BL kit is getting more affordable, good for the hobby! 

I was gonna say the same thing, Even the 6s 150a Surpass can be had for £35, The 120a version is 6s and only 30 quid, Have gotten so cheap. 

[Paul Busby]

5 minutes ago, babylon said:

I was gonna say the same thing, Even the 6s 150a Surpass can be had for £35, The 120a version is 6s and only 30 quid, Have gotten so cheap. 

Literally a 3rd of the price of a Hobbywing. I can say that my experience with a Gool RC 60A was bad and it simply doesn't work, but then my Surpass 80A is excellent... so these things can be a real gamble!

[fnknan]

10 minutes ago, Paul Busby said:

Literally a 3rd of the price of a Hobbywing. I can say that my experience with a Gool RC 60A was bad and it simply doesn't work, but then my Surpass 80A is excellent... so these things can be a real gamble!

As long as you don't use the highest rated battery it can take, you'll most likely be safe. I bought the 80amp to run maximum 3s lipo even though it can run 4s

[babylon]

8 minutes ago, Paul Busby said:

Literally a 3rd of the price of a Hobbywing. I can say that my experience with a Gool RC 60A was bad and it simply doesn't work, but then my Surpass 80A is excellent... so these things can be a real gamble!

Well a Quicrun can be had for £70, I admit it can be a gamble , But when Brushless first kicked off no would touch the cheap Chinese knockoff that was HobbyWing, And you could pick this combo up for £120.

 

[m4inbrain]

29 minutes ago, fnknan said:

As long as you don't use the highest rated battery it can take, you'll most likely be safe. I bought the 80amp to run maximum 3s lipo even though it can run 4s

 

You might wanna slim down your signature a bit mate.

 

[tomzac66]

I’ve been into RC for a long time, too long with boats, tanks, trucks finally buggy’s truggys alike the latest being Planes, for me I don’t think it’s dying so much as progressive [emoji16] what we need are more places to run them in a safe environment, for far too long we’ve shared parks paths & roads, golf courses quarry’s etc. With dog walkers family’s “the general public”

 

For me the enjoyment starts in mi shed with the radio on building something.

 

I feel a few more dedicated tracks are what we need, even if it’s something we do once a month.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

[Paul Busby]

52 minutes ago, babylon said:

Well a Quicrun can be had for £70, I admit it can be a gamble , But when Brushless first kicked off no would touch the cheap Chinese knockoff that was HobbyWing, And you could pick this combo up for £120.

 

You're right, I was thinking of the EZRUN.

 

The Quicrun and the Surpass models do look suspiciously similar...

 

[J.K]

The RC companies aren't advertising because they don't need to. The hobby has never been so good IMO, I think crawling started that resurgence. 

[fnknan]

1 hour ago, m4inbrain said:

 

You might wanna slim down your signature a bit mate.

 

Ah I'm on mobile so I can't see it I'll sort it when I get home 😆

[CattoCattoExo]

9 hours ago, tamiyafanboy said:

With the accessibility of cheap parts and cars better batteries and better Technology I would say its far from dying, the only thing that is hard to come by are local hobby shops.

 

this this and this so much!! 

 

i was so saddened to find that a model shop i used to enjoy going into in the city centre when i was younger, is no longer there, and has turned into a noodle bar 😢 

[DeeCee]

Certainly don't think it's dying. This is my first fray back into it since 1998 when I had a fleet of nitro cars. I'm just glad I can now finally get a lunchbox after a 30 year wait lol. Back then there wasn't the forums as there is now. I found that a lot of enthusiasts used to hang around the model shops chatting. They did up my way anyway. You could go in to get a few parts and end up there for a few hrs chatting. Sadly there were four model shops close to me and everyone of them has now closed. Think the closest one to me now would be a 2hr or so drive so have to go with the online purchases now. The choice online aswell is bewildering so there's certainly something for everyone. 

Just my 2 pence worth. 

[fnknan]

Hows this? ⬇️ @m4inbrain

[m4inbrain]

Way better pal, doesn't fill half the page on a 1440p screen anymore.